These are the first few sentences from this guide sent to me by a reader. The most important thing for quitting is initiative. Quitting tobacco is the kind of goal we’ll happily sign off on here at SC. Make sure to also check out this Wikipedia article on the subject. And as with everything else, smoking weed will probably make your time quitting slightly less unenjoyable.

Our reader goes on to recommend “vaping” (not the kind we love) as a substitute to real tobacco. I disagree, and think it’s just as bad to be addicted to a vapor pen unless of course you happen to be using it with a cannabis oil, which would be awesome.

editor’s note: this article was written by an anonymous contributor. Thank you, anonymous contributor!

In today’s world with the legalization of Marijuana on a wide scale all across the US many different products have come onto the scene. In fact there have been more advancements in products that help you get stoned in the last 18 months than in the previous 18 years. With all the new gadgets available you might ask yourself, What new product do I need the most? The answer to that question is simple, you need the most under rated product on the market. What might that be? A digital scale.
Yes, yes I know, I know digital scales are not by any means a “new gadget”. However, just because there are thousands of new products on the market doesn’t mean you don’t need one of the classics first. Digital scales have been available for centuries all over the world. With the new wave of legalization A LOT of time, research, and money has been put into improving digital scales. Some of the new scales on the market are down right cool. We’ll get to that in a second, but first some of you might be asking, why do I need a digital scale?

You need to own a digital scale because…

1. Scales aren’t just for dealers anymore. You can purchase a quality scale for $20 or $30 now a days. (instead of $100’s like it was in the 70s for a triple beam scale). They are a great investment to ensure that you never get shorted again. Judging the weight of marijuana can be a very tricky thing. You have different densities, different strains, different levels of moisture content, etc, etc. It can make it really hard to judge how much a bag weighs even for seasoned professionals. That is why all the seasoned professionals, a.k.a. weed dealers ( I bet they never thought they’d be referred to as “Seasoned professionals” right) , own digital scales. They don’t want to lose money by giving out too much weed and you don’t want to lose money by getting too little weed. You might be saying to yourself right now, “Well if all the dealers have scales, why do I need one?”

With big festivals like SXSW (South by Southwest), ACL (Austin City Limits) and the dozens of other music/art-related attractions throughout the year, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world visit Austin. Statistically, many of these people enjoy illicit substances on occasion. And of course Austin has the reputation of being a big, blue liberal dot in the middle of a conservative wasteland, so there’s nothing to worry about, right?

Not exactly. While it’s true that Austin is much more liberal than the neighboring counties and towns, drug laws are still heavily enforced in the town, and thousands of people are arrested for minor things like weed. There’s a misconception I’ve heard recently that Austin doesn’t prosecute for weed, or that it is ignored by the police. That might be true on a case-by-case basis, but if you look at the police blotter you’ll find that plenty of people are charged with simple possession every day.

Law

Part of the confusion stems from a law passed a few years ago that “decriminalized” weed. Many people heard “decriminalize” and thought “great, that means it’s not criminal!” But this is not true, what the law actually states is that officers can now issue a ticket instead of making a physical arrest. But aside from avoiding a night in jail, the end-result is the same… you still have a drug charge that carries all the normal Texas punishments. And that night in jail is still not out of the question, any officer can still arrest you if they want, it’s simply up to their discretion.

Cops

If you see one of these be real cool, man.

If you encounter a State Trooper then do everything in your power to hide your drugs and keep them from being found. These guys are the Nazi SS of Texas, and it makes their day to bust a pot-smokin’ hippie. The same is true for any of the Sheriffs and local PD in surrounding counties. Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Caldwell, etc. are all very unkind to drug enthusiasts, and Williamson County (north of Austin along I35, aka WilCo) is one of the worst places in the country to get busted. Don’t let it happen to you.

This is standard practice in WilCo… this dude was just getting a speeding ticket.

There is some good news though. As long as you’re within the main parts of Austin, the APD officers are who you’re most likely to encounter. Typically APD guys are pretty chill, and as long as you treat them respectfully they’ll do the same. You might get lucky and find the guy who looks the other way, or confiscates the weed but doesn’t ticket/arrest you. Just make sure you’re not caught selling it, because they won’t be as cool.

Festivals

But that’s for the city at large, within festival grounds there is a slightly different set of rules. For the most part open weed use is tolerated within places like ACL, SXSW venues and smaller festivals. That’s not to say lighting up in front of a cop is going to go unpunished, but as long as you’re not actin’ a fool or selling drugs you’ll typically be ok.

Where will you be when the acid kicks in?

Psychedelics are on a strict Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. As long as you quietly dose your LSD, eat your shrooms or swallow your rolls, nobody is going to give you the third degree. Just don’t be the guy who takes too many mushrooms, strips totally naked and runs through a crowd of people… you might just get tackled.

Locating Drugs

Finding drugs in Austin can be a challenge. One would think “hey it’s a liberal, college town with tons of music, parties and festivals, drugs are everywhere!” Well, sort of. Some drugs are easily available. You can’t go two blocks downtown without passing by a weed smoker. Of course, that weed smoker might be a business exec worth millions. But suffice to say weed is not too hard to find. Meet 10 college-aged people and ask each where to find weed, you’re bound to get hooked up.

Other drugs can be a real pain in the ass. For legit, pure LSD or MDMA for example, you’re probably better off searching the internet. Without some seriously well-connected hookups, it is nearly impossible to locate good LSD or MDMA. Research chemicals like methylone, 2c-*, *-NBOMe and others are constantly being sold to people thinking they’re buying MDMA or LSD. Nowadays when I hear someone has some “legit acid” or “pure molls” available, I just roll my eyes and say “sure dude, let’s see the test results.”

Opiates and coke are a little easier to locate, but they still require a pretty strong network. If you really put your mind to it they can be found, but rarely are they going to fall into your lap. Austin is a good place to find weed, but not really anything else.

If you’ve come to Austin to party then you’re not alone. Most of the people in the city are cool with drugs, and as long as you make it without getting busted then you’ve won over half the battle. From there you just need to keep your drugs to yourself and not make yourself a target and you’ll probably be ok. And remember Lotus’ rule… only break one law at a time 😉

Each New Year brings New Year resolutions, and as the crowded gyms of January are empty and unused by February, most attempts to quit smoking, drinking or drugging fail in similar short order. While we at SC support any drug habits from curious dabbler to full-blown junky, there comes a time in most stoners’ lives when they have to cut back for awhile. No problem, it’ll always be there when you come back.

Despite all the things we hear about weed being physically non-addictive, it can still present some tough obstacles to people trying to quit. Especially if that person is the type that includes weed in nearly every activity and aspect of their daily life. Many smokers believe that weed is nothing less than a life-enhancer, and they apply it in all occasions. That can be true, but when marijuana (or any psychoactive) is treated like that it can create ties with life and happiness that become very difficult to untangle.(more…)

If you are having panic attacks (or severe anxiety) after smoking weed or while tripping, first understand that it has happened to probably millions of other people, and they’ve all been fine. It has happened to me and many other seasoned veterans. I know people who had a panic attack their first time smoking at 18 years old, and life-time smokers who didn’t have them until well into their 50s. So this is nothing unusual or harmful.(more…)

Awhile back, I was pulled over for minor traffic infraction and subsequently arrested for possessing a (fairly small) amount of marijuana, a grinder and a scale. I also had in my possession anti-psychotic pills, and a single .5 mg alprazolam. I was taken to jail and charged in one of the most strict, law-and-order counties, in a notoriously conservative state. Needless to say, this was a pretty open-and-shut case, and I didn’t stand much chance.

Storing weed is another of those forgettably simple tasks that can cause anxiety in the inexperienced cannabis enthusiast. Transporting and shipping weed is a process that can cause anxiety for any level of user. Both storage and transportation can be important to your legal safety as well as to the continued potency of your drugs, and they’re both rife with myths and misunderstandings. Let’s sort through this mess and try to clean it up.(more…)

I spotted this awesome little piece of literature while browsing the Something Awful forums. It’s regarding the dark side of drugs – the side that most users don’t particularly like to think about, and hope they never have to. But withdrawal is truly a fascinating topic, and one that’s hard to comprehend if you haven’t experienced it. To an addict, withdrawal is an invisible driving force behind their use. Even if a user genuinely wants to rid themselves of a drug, the threat of withdrawal can force them to do anything in their power to stave off the horror.(more…)

When I’ve first learned and taken interest in a drug, I always immediately begin research on how to most effectively administer it. It sucks going back later and finding out a large portion of valuable drugs went to waste. However, when I came across DMT (by making it myself), I could not manage to find a concrete source on how to use it. Some people suggested tossing it on a bowl of weed, a few claimed the trick was hitting with a torch lighter, others suggested making a crude device called “The Machine,” or using a lightbulb vape/crackpipe to similar effect. I was even directed towards buying expensive bong attachments – or specially crafted, highly priced pieces – and vaporizers.

Believe me when I say I’ve tried every damn one of these suggestions. Now, with hundreds of dollars worth of DMT wasted, I know how to do it: vaporization.(more…)